


Burning Bridges

by patwitches



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sun & Moon | Pokemon Sun & Moon Versions
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Heavy Angst, There are more characters i swear, also angst, and death, but this is it, college au with a dash of coffee shop and spy au, i have never been this emotionally invested in a pokemon game's characters before, lonashipping, lord here we go
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-27
Updated: 2017-06-13
Packaged: 2018-09-12 14:36:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9076816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patwitches/pseuds/patwitches
Summary: All over the city, sightings of mysterious beasts have been reported. When the world-renowned Aether Foundation offers an internship to any student in Alola University with a science major and a promising research project, Moon knows that these sightings are the way to go. However, she finds herself in quite a harrowing predicament- as the sightings become more dangerous, she teams up with her best friend's mysterious brother, Gladion, to find and exterminate the root of the problem. But just how much is he hiding? And more so, how much is the Aether Foundation hiding?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be a coffee shop au but I have a habit of turning cute fluff to epic angst.

The corner of the coffee shop seemed to have always been reserved for her. It was vacant every day, which was probably the doing of the shop’s owner, Lillie. 

She yawned, leaning back in the armchair. It was a chilly autumn morning, and she needed just the right amount of caffeine to power her through the day. She didn’t have any classes, but she had a lot of work to catch up on.

Her name was written in a messy scrawl across the tops of all her papers, the product of many nights of suffering and five-hour energy pills. All she had to do was- well- rewrite the whole thing. She sighed, pressing her fingers against her temples. 

“ You feeling okay, Moon?”

Lillie stared down at her, wide-eyed and concerned, two drinks in hand. 

“ Never better,” she huffed, “ how much are those two?”

“ Nothing, they’re on the house today. Is Hau coming?”   
Moon shook her head. “ It’s happy hour day at the malasada shop. He’s waiting it out down the street.”

Lillie’s eyes twinkled. “ Classic Hau. If you need anything, feel free to talk to my brother. I’ve got to go do something.” 

She let her gaze drift off in the direction of the counter, where Lillie’s brother now stood, looking ridiculous in a white frilly apron. 

“ He doesn’t look like he wants to be there,” she observed. 

Lillie laughed. “ Gladion doesn’t want to be anywhere but his apartment nowadays. But you’d be amazed at what some guilt-tripping can do.”

There was a great crashing sound, and Gladion cursed loudly. Lillie winced. 

         “ Anyways, I’d better go.”

She left, the bell by the door tinkling as the wind closed it for her. 

Moon sighed, returning her focus to her work. 

There was an entire piece of paper dedicated to finding the perfect title for her research project. To keep it short, it was about tears in the fabric of reality. 

News all over the city had reported sightings of extraterrestrial beings- while it was highly unlikely to be true, it was a rather fascinating topic, one that almost guaranteed her landing the Aether Foundation’s internship (should she manage to pull it off). There was hardly any concrete evidence pointing towards the truth of the aforementioned aliens, so her paper was edging towards highly theoretical. 

But she knew she had the power of Alola University’s science department backing her. 

Running a hand through her short black hair, she typed in the password to her phone. A picture of her, Hau, and Lillie when they were younger lit up the dark screen, bringing a smile to her face. She had definitely seen better days. Out of the three of them, only Hau had not changed. He was still the same happy, enthusiastic person he’d always been. Lillie had become more reclusive, dropping out of school with her brother to run the coffee shop. 

Moon hadn’t really known why- and she hadn’t pressed Lillie for more information. It probably had something to do with her mother, who she’d been hiding from for years. She knew not to force people into explanations when they didn’t want to explain anything. She knew to be careful around such sensitive topics. 

She opened up her email application and clicked on the conversation she’d had with one of her professors. With lightning speed, she screenshotted every email and sent the photos to her cloud drive before deleting the conversation. She turned on her laptop, pulling up her drive. She put her head down on the table and looked at the screenshots.  


 

**Professor Kukui**

**to me:**

 

Moon! I’m glad to hear you’ve finally decided on your topic. I had a gut feeling you’d choose something like this- though I’m not going to deny it’ll be hard. But I know you can do it, cousin!

I’ve attached some files  **below** about the recent sightings out by the city. Witness sketches report several jellyfish-like creatures escaping from what appears to be a tear in the sky. Quite interesting, if I do say so myself! Personally, I believe it may be a product of mass hysteria, but as scientists, we cannot deny any possibility without testing. 

 

**alien.png** **alien1.png** **sighting.pdf**

  
  


**Me**

**to Professor Kukui:**

 

Thank you for the information.

  
  


**Professor Kukui**

**to me:**

 

Anytime, cousin! 

As I’m sure you know, the jellyfish-like creatures have “reappeared” again today. Crazy, am I right? There were some not too far from the school. 

The department has decided on several code names for the creature should it exist (apparently, it’s enough to garner national attention): UB-01, also known as Symbiont. 

I’ll have to ask you not to put the latter into your report, as it’s purely classified information. I trust you won’t share it.

UB stands for Ultra Beast, and the number stands for, well, the order of discovery, I suppose. Which means that we may expect more from these tears in the sky in the future. 

 

**ub01report.pdf**

  
  


**Me**

**to Professor Kukui:**

 

I wasn’t aware the Aether Foundation was  _ this  _ close to Alola’s science department. Also, shouldn’t that mean fishy business if the government is involved?

 

        “ Hey.”

Moon slammed her laptop shut.

        “ Yes?”

A single brownie on a plate was slid across the table to her. 

        “ Lillie says you need to eat more.” 

She found herself staring at Gladion, who immediately looked away from her gaze. “ And this is-”

        “ Her idea,” he grunted. 

He made to walk away but stopped before Moon could open her laptop again. 

        “ And I think,” he whispered, “ you’d be less suspicious if you didn’t close your laptop every time someone came near."  


        “ There’s nothing to be suspicious about.”

Gladion laughed- a rare phenomenon indeed- and turned to face her again. “ Please. There’s everything to be suspicious about nowadays.”   


	2. Chapter 2

**Professor Kukui**

**to me:**

 

The Aether Foundation has always been closely tied with our science department! After all, its president, Madame Lusamine, graduated from Alola University herself. 

As I’m sure you are aware of, there have been two more sightings of alien-like creatures around the city. They were, however, too fast to create witness eye sketches. 

I can update you with information as soon as I am able to!

 

Moon felt her mattress cave in as Hau jumped on her bed, letting out a  _ whoop  _ in relief. 

“ I defended my malasada-eating record,” he laughed.

“ That’s nice to know,” she quipped, “ now could you just sweep the crumbs off of my bed?” 

Her roommate pouted, staring up at her with puppy-dog eyes. “ You’re in a bad mood today.” 

“ I’m in a  _ working  _ mood today.”   
Hau laughed. “ You say that every day. It’s almost as if you don’t quite know how you’re feeling.”

Moon chose not to argue with her friend, exiting out of her drive window. 

“ Anyways, I bought you a big malasada.”   
Crumbs scattered across her sheets as the pastry was shoved into her hands. She forced a smile. It wasn’t that she didn’t  _ like  _ malasadas. It was just that she didn’t like the mess they made on her bed. Beds were for sleeping, not eating. 

Hau looked at her expectantly. She took a small bite out of the malasada. 

“ There you go!”

It was sweet. She’d been eating a lot of sweet things. 

She didn’t particularly like sweet things in large quantities- it made her feel queasy. But lately Moon’s taste buds didn’t seem to care whether or not she was eating garbage or confectioner sugar glaze. As long as there was something being digested, she would live. 

She liked to think she ran purely off of spite and a sense of duty. 

“ Why do you think they say girls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice?”

“ Because they want to make girls feel special,” Moon sighed.

(And wanted. And important. And not bad in any way, shape, or form.)

“ What do you think you’re made out of?” Hau asked, suppressing a yawn. 

She thought for a moment. 

“ Opposites.” 

Hau furrowed his eyebrows. “ Opposites? What do you mean by that?”   
Moon shrugged. “ I don’t know how to explain it.”

(She knew perfectly well how to explain it. She just didn’t quite feel like doing it.)

“ I asked Lillie what she thought she was made of.” 

There was a small  _ ding  _ as a notification popped up in the corner of her laptop screen. It was another email from the professor. She clicked on it. 

“ Oh, really?” Moon murmured. “ What’d she say?”   
“ She said…”   
Hau’s babbling seemed to fade into static as she opened up Professor Kukui’s email, squinting at the words on the screen. She had always had terrible vision. 

 

**Professor Kukui**

**to me:**

 

The department has decided on two names for the recent beasts: UB-02 Beauty and UB-02 Absorption. 

As they were encountered at almost the same time, we saw it fair to give both of them 02. 

Again, do not include this information in your report. I just think you deserve some more insight into the situation, as the news barely covers anything about the Ultra Beasts anymore. I suspect the Aether Foundation has been trying to control how much news gets out to the people in order to prevent panic.

You told me during our last meeting that you were onto something, but you had to leave before you gave me much more details. If, by chance, it has anything to do with what I’m thinking about, you might want to visit the science lab after hours and check under the third table. 

Happy findings, cousin!

 

“ What’s that?”   
Moon shut her laptop. At that point, it was a reflex. 

Hau narrowed his eyes. “ Come on. This is something about whatever you’re doing for the internship, isn’t it?”   
She avoided his gaze. “ Not at all.”

There was a small bit of silence before Hau pounced on her laptop, causing her to scream and attempt to wrestle it back from him. 

Her best friend did not look quite as strong as he really was, as he was easily able to overpower her, pinning her down with a pillow. 

“ Get that off me!” 

“ Whatever this is you’re doing,” he panted, “ it’s keeping you from acting like a regular person! You don’t sleep! Tell me, when was the last time you had three meals a day?”   
(She actually couldn’t remember the last time. But that was beside the point.)

Hau just couldn’t read her conversation with Professor Kukui. There was information in there.  _ Valuable  _ information. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him, it was just that Kukui trusted her. There was no way she would let there be a possibility of anyone finding out that information- not through her, not through Hau, not through anyone. 

“ It’s just a project about the beast sightings, that’s all!”

A look of skepticism briefly flashed through Hau’s eyes before he released his grip on the pillow. 

“ Alright, then.” he sighed. “ But, still, when was the last time you ate three meals a day?”  
“ I live off of instant noodles,” she admitted. “ and your malasadas.” 

“ That’s not very healthy.”   
Moon grabbed her laptop back from Hau. “ I know. Anyways. I- uh- have to go.”   
“ Where to?”

She had many talents, but her best one was the ability to make up excuses on the spot.

“ I think I left something at the coffee house. I’m going to go back and get it.” 

It hardly took Hau a second. “ You’re lying.”

(At least, to make up excuses on the spot to anyone but Hau.)

“ You know,” he humphed, “ if you’re so desperate to work on this research project of yours, I think I might have something to help you.”

Before she could say anything, he grabbed her sweatshirt off of her bedpost and tossed it at her. “ But we’ll have to go somewhere first.” 

She slid it on, and nodded. “ Th- thanks. And, uh, can we pass by somewhere on the way?”

~

The science lab was in Melemele Hall, not too far down from the room she shared with Hau. 

   Moon clutched at the sleeves of her sweatshirt, her breath condensing midair. It was very cold, a sort of cold she wasn’t used to. Her teeth chattered. The wind howled. 

“ Can we go ch-check tomorrow?” Hau whined, his words muffled by his scarf. “ I thought it wouldn’t be as cold.”

“ You can go back if you want.” she shivered.

“ Nah. I’d- I’d rather come with you to wherever you’re-”   
He sneezed.

Palm trees swayed in the wind, their leaves rustling, creating a sort of melody. Moon hummed to herself, letting her thoughts temporarily take over her mind. 

The sightings. Those Ultra Beasts, as Kukui called them. 

She had a gut feeling they were real.

Moon was a very logical person, but she knew to trust her gut above everything else. People saw these creatures. These tears in the sky. It was a completely unfathomable scenario, but yet, it was happening, and it had a very unsettling nature about it. People called them aliens. Monsters. Sometimes she felt like an alien. Sometimes she felt like a monster. 

Sometimes she felt like a beast. 

And maybe it was because she felt out of place. 

After all those years living in Alola, her dreams still took her back to Kanto, where she was born and raised. She had moved only when she was eleven years old (she was nineteen now, and considerably more mature). 

She met Hau and Lillie and Gladion but they always had their own connections, their own things going on. Their own  _ remember whens _ .

Moon shook these thoughts away. She didn’t want to get  _ too  _ emotional. 

With shaking hands, she reached for the door to push it open. The alarm started to go off, but she turned around and punched in the security code. 

Hau turned on the lights.

“ Okay,” he winced, “ don’t you think the lights here are way too bright?”   
She didn’t respond, only headed for the third table. 

Beakers were left willy-nilly all over the place. Lab kits were left haphazardly on the floor as if something had happened that drove people to evacuate. She had a sneaking suspicion something  _ did _ . 

Moon was best friends with sneaking suspicions. 

“ Whoa, what happened here?”

She picked up a broken shard of glass from the floor. “ Hell if I know.”

Moon dropped the shard to the floor and felt under the lab table. There seemed to be something like a Post-It note slapped under there. She tore it off, and squinted at it under the intense light.

_ Code is 19991 for the next hallway.  _

_ I think you deserve to know whether or not your beasts are real. _


	3. Chapter 3

Hau was adamant. 

“ I agreed to pass by somewhere with you, not- not break into the science hall!” 

“ We’re breaking in,” she muttered, “ to pass by.”

She shoved Kukui’s note into her pants pocket.  _ 19991\.  _

The door to the next hallway was right next to the third lab table.

“ What kind of research project makes you break the law?” 

The metal doorknob was cold against her fingertips. “ This one.”

Before Hau could protest, she opened the door, rushed in, and typed the code. 

_ 19991. _

The alarm stopped, and Moon let out air that she didn’t know she was holding in. She turned around to see Hau, pale-faced and slack-jawed.

“ You know,” she sighed, “ you don’t have to come with me if you don’t want to.”   
He seemed to be debating.

“ I just,” he frowned, “ don’t want to get in trouble with Grandpa again. Especially since this is Melemele Hall and I literally just got yelled at for bringing-”

“ Three cats into our dormitory.” she finished.

“ Yeah, that.” he laughed.

She made to turn around, but Hau grabbed her arm.

“ But I also don’t want to let my best friend get in trouble alone.” 

“ Hey,” she grinned, “ who said I’d let us get in trouble?”

Hau walked through the doorway. They set off down the hall.

“ I’m already getting chicken skin.”

Unlike the science lab, the lights weren’t that bright. In fact, there weren’t any lights at all. 

Only one door was ajar- the one furthest down the hall. She raised a finger to her lips and pointed to the door. 

“ You think anyone’s in there?” Hau whispered. 

Moon shrugged. Slowing down their pace, they tiptoed further down the hall.

She pressed her ear to the door. There didn’t seem to be anyone inside. She pushed it open. 

There was a creaking sound- it was quiet, but it was a sound, enough to send shivers up her spine. She knew that if she was caught, she could easily say that she’d left a textbook in one of the classrooms. Students breaking into classrooms late during the nighttime was surprisingly very common- whether it was for forgotten items or for other purposes. 

“- according to recent activities-”   
Moon grabbed Hau’s shirt sleeve and pulled him inside the room. 

Footsteps grew louder. Moon’s eyes darted around the room- there was only one table with a tablecloth, the one nearest to the bookshelf. She pointed to it, and they dashed underneath. 

Professor Kukui’s voice. “ Looks like someone forgot to set an alarm.”

Hau turned fearful eyes to her. She shushed him. 

_ It’s okay. Just be quiet. _

_ What if we’re caught?  _

Moon chose not to think about that possibility. 

The voice of a woman, cool and calculating, was louder than Kukui’s. “ I suggest security be tightened. We cannot afford to lose data on these beautiful beasts.”

“ Sightings of UB-01 have become more frequent, as you know.”

The lights were turned on, and Hau grabbed Moon’s arm. 

“ Hey, is there something under the table over there?”

“ The table?”   
Moon closed her eyes and braced for impact. 

Suddenly, there was the sound of something shifting. Something that was definitely not Hau grabbed her other arm and pulled her into somewhere cold and clammy and dusty and-

“ Huh, I guess there really isn’t anything under the table.”

Before she could cry out, a hand was clamped over her mouth. 

“ Don’t move.”

This was it. This was what her mother warned her of. 

_ If you go outside you’ll have to deal with criminals and thieves and kidnappers, and the real world is full of them.  _

“ Mmph!”   
Moon racked her brain. Assuming whoever had her was a boy, all she needed to perform was a groin kick. She could, of course, hit a specific spot on his nose, but that would probably kill him. If she was going to get in trouble at all, it was going to be for being in a classroom after hours, not for murdering someone. 

But, soon enough, she was released. 

There was enough room in wherever she was to crawl back. In the dim light, she could make out the familiar features of someone with an uneven blond haircut. 

“ Gladion-”

“ Shut up.”

Her mind was swimming. 

How did she end up in this situation- no, scratch that- how did Gladion even get here? As far as Moon knew, he didn’t go to school. He didn’t do anything besides hole himself up in his apartment and come along occasionally on outings with Lillie. 

Gladion. Gladion was there. And where was Hau? Knowing him, he’d be raising hell.

What if he was caught by Kukui? Kukui was the one who left the note for her- but Hau wasn’t with her anymore. Hau wasn’t quite as good at making up excuses as Moon was, and if anything happened to him, it would be her fault. He was the one who expressed discomfort with the entire thing. 

No. Someone- either Kukui or the woman- had said there was nothing else under the table. Meaning Hau either got away or found some way to hide. 

“ Stop that.”

“ Stop what?”   
Gladion’s emerald gaze was piercing. “ Worrying so much.”

Moon shifted uncomfortably. “ How do you know I’m worrying?”

He chuckled. “ You positively radiate worry.”

“ Where’s Hau?”

“ You brought that numbskull with you?”

She huffed. “ He’s not a numbskull.”

“ He was dumb enough to let you go poking around in business that isn’t yours.”

“ You’re doing the exact same thing.” she retorted. “ So that makes all three of us numbskulls.”   
Gladion smirked, adjusting his position in the cramped space so that he was pinning her against the wall. “ On the contrary, I’m poking around in business that is very well mine.”

Moon tried her best to seem unfazed by this. “ I’m doing a project that is worth my grade and my future. I think it’s just as much my business, too.”

“ How did you get in here?” 

“ I should be asking the same thing of you-”   
The ground shook under them. Moon hardly had time to cry out as Gladion’s grip on the wall slipped and he fell on top of her. 

She bit her lip, tasting blood. “ Okay, what  _ exactly  _ is going on?”

He furiously shushed her, and turned to a loose plate in the wall of the space. With a grunt, he tore it off, revealing what looked to be a passageway. 

“ Follow me.”

The passageway led into a much bigger space- Moon could now stand up, and observe her surroundings better. 

Gladion wiped dust off of his pants, and mouthed:  _ Don’t move or make any noises. _

The female voice spoke again. He seemed to tense up. 

“ Our- ah- weapon against these beasts went missing yesterday.”

Kukui’s voice. “ Really? That’s unfortunate.”

“ Wicke and I left it unattended for only a few minutes, and it was gone.”

“ You suspect someone stole it?”

Another voice. “ Stole our Type: Null? It’s not possible. Madam Lusamine keeps the entire facility under a careful eye.”

“ Anyways,” the female voice muttered, “ let us turn our attention back to this wonderful device our dear professor is showing us.”

Another female voice. “ Thank you, President Lusamine. Now, if you’ll look at this.”

There was the sound of something zapping. 

With trembling hands, Moon grabbed her phone out of her pocket, entered her password, and recorded the conversation. 

“ As part of our research at the Dimensional Research Lab, we have simulated these so-called tears in the sky in a purely electronic environment.”

“ Are there names for these tears in the sky?”   
“ We call them Ultra Wormholes.”   
Ultra Wormholes. 

Moon knew what a wormhole was. It was a way to traverse the space-time continuum without having to undergo unfathomably long travel times. It was predicted by the theory of general relativity. Textbook stuff. 

But if these so-called “Ultra Wormholes” were really  _ wormholes,  _ there would be threats to the planet. Radiation. Exotic matter. 

Was this  _ exotic matter  _ the Ultra Beasts? 

“ Only three UBs have shown up thus far- Symbiont, Absorption, and Beauty. However, the longer we let these beasts into our world, the more they’ll become a threat.

“ These beasts have strength. They have powers unlike anything this world has ever seen before.”

“ What’s our best course of action?”

“ It’s too soon to tell.” 

The voice which Moon assumed to be Aether President Lusamine’s laughed. “ As it always is.”

“ If the threat gets bigger the longer we wait, won’t it be best to start on a way to shut down these Ultra Wormholes for good?” 

“ But we don’t know what that will require.”

“ So we leave the populace to the mercy of these beasts?”

Moon’s eyes briefly met with Gladion’s. He forced his gaze away from her. 

He had said that this was his business. Just who  _ was  _ Gladion if this sort of thing was his business? 

“ We’ll think of something. Like I said, it’s too soon to tell. And that stands for everything right now.”

“ There’s still something else.” said Professor Kukui. 

“ What’s this something else?”   
“ There are many legends around this campus- you can ask any student- about the mountain behind Poni Hall. We have many old artifacts up there, including two very special flutes.”

“ Your point, Professor?”

“ We have thought some ancient peoples to be aware of things such as string theory way before modern sciences have!”

“ Meaning?”   
Lusamine’s voice. “ These ancient artifacts- these two flutes- the peoples who made them must have known something about today’s Ultra Beast phenomenon, then?” 

“ Exactly.”

There was a brief silence.

“ If it is possible,” said Lusamine thoughtfully, “ could we go up to this mountain behind your Poni Hall and look at these artifacts?” 

“ Yes, that would be possible.”

“ Thank you, Professor Kukui. Professor Burnet.”

“ Anytime.”

Moon waited until the sound of their footsteps receded, and the light turned off. There was an unmistakable click of a lock behind them. It was the least of her worries. 

She ended her recording, and sunk to the floor in a dazed stupor.

“ Gladion?”

He only raised his eyebrow at her.

“ What the hell is this business you claim to be part of?”


	4. Chapter 4

They were in the storage closet that somehow wasn’t able to be opened from the outside. 

It was both a good thing and a bad thing. 

Moon buried her head in her arms. “ I need an aspirin.”

At that point, she needed more than an aspirin. She needed a bed, a dinner, and a will to live. But even more than that, she needed to get out of the closet and away from Gladion, who was giving her death stares she definitely did not deserve.

She knew for a fact that there wasn’t any word she could use to describe her emotions. She was confused, scared, angry, worried, and an entire Molotov cocktail of negativity. 

But amongst that mess of feelings, she was curious. 

Curious and flustered.

“ If it wasn’t for you,” Gladion hissed, “ we wouldn’t be in this situation right now.”

“ Oh, so this is all my fault?”

Maybe it was just the way Moon was staring at him, but Gladion seemed to soften a little bit. 

“ Not entirely. Only maybe eighty percent.”

“ So this is eighty percent my fault.”

He huffed. “ This is your classroom, isn’t it? Tell me how we’re going to get out of here.”

“ Can’t we go back the way we came?”

“ The panels are stuck.”

She groaned, burying her head even further in her arms. “ Tell you what. If you tell me what exactly is going on right now, I’ll tell you of another way we can get out of here.” 

“ How about you tell me first and I tell you.”

Moon gave him a look. “ I don’t think so.”

“ So then we’re at a standstill.”

“ It seems we are.” 

Gladion sat across from her, pressing two fingers to his temples. 

She scrutinized him. He looked distraught and dirty, quite unlike his usual jaded, stoic self. He was determinedly looking away from her as to prevent the situation from becoming more awkward than it already was. 

The situation was very awkward. 

Nothing Gladion did could make it better.

“ I could keep sneaking around.” she murmured. “ My information is more valuable to you right now than yours is to me.”

He gave her a withering look. “ Trust me, it’s more than you can handle.”

“ I can take it.” 

“ The Ultra Beasts are real.”

She straightened up.

Gladion tossed his hair out of his face in order to look her in the eyes. Whether she found that intimidating or interesting, she did not know. And she did not care. 

“ They are real, and they can end the world as we know it.”

“ I think we deserve as much.”   
He scoffed. “ You’re taking this surprisingly well.”

“ L'appel du vide.”

“ What?”

“ The call of the void.” 

Gladion gave her a look. “ Are you okay?”

She laughed. “ The world is self-destructive. It only proves my point more.”

“ What’s your point?”

“ That the world deserves it.”

“ That’s edgy.”   
Moon looked him up and down. “ That’s funny, coming from you.” 

He rolled his eyes. “ Anyways. Yeah. That’s pretty much the gist of it. The Ultra Beasts can end the world, and nothing is all it’s cracked up to be.”

“ What do you mean by that last bit?”

“ Look at you.” Gladion scoffed. “ You’re a student. You live in debt. You want to make a name for yourself, right? You’re only doing this for your future, and maybe, if you’re a decent person, to provide for your family.”

She leaned back on the side of the closet. “ Your point being?”

“ You have a very narrow perspective. You see the Aether Foundation as this brilliant group of people who aim to conserve and protect the environment through biotechnology, do you not?”

“ Yeah.” 

“ And you also see the Aether Foundation as your way out.”

“ Yeah.”

Gladion sighed. “ I assume this is what your research project is about.”

“ That would be correct.”

“ Was it simply a report on these sightings?”

Moon looked at her feet.

It was more than a report on the sightings. 

“ I was able to gather,” she murmured, “ that the Ultra Beasts could end the world. You know more. You definitely know more. That can’t be it.”

“ I can’t tell you here.”

“ I’ll tell you about my theory if you tell me about everything else you know.”

He seemed to be debating. 

They had time. 

While Gladion weighed the pros and cons of the information exchange, Moon thought to 

herself. 

She’d maybe expected to find a book. Or some more research papers from Kukui. She didn’t expect to wind up in the storage closet with Lillie’s edgelord brother who might or might not hold valuable information that she  _ absolutely needed to get to.  _

_ Act like you’re indifferent.  _

She knew Gladion would much rather not be in the situation they were in.

She would rather be back at her dormitory with Hau working on her theory. She was wasting valuable time. 

The information she could give him was purely theoretical- but it was sound. It was a sound theory. 

“ Fine.”

She pulled out a notepad. 

“ I have friends in the Aether Foundation.”

Noted.

“ Their president- Lusamine- she wants to capture these beasts and keep them for experimentation and preservation.”

“ But-”

“ That can end the world. I know.” he frowned. “ Like you said, we probably deserve it. But past that, I don’t really know anything else. Now, why don’t you tell me your end of the bargain?”

She sighed. After all, a deal was a deal. 

“ What if I can’t trust you?”   
The words came out of her mouth before she could keep them in. 

To her surprise, Gladion was smiling. 

“ I’m not going to steal your theory. I’m not smart enough to think of anything like that. But I’m still smart enough to know when I should keep my mouth shut.”

She bit her lip. 

She had known Gladion for a while. But they had never really had a conversation- more or less  _ this _ . 

But he was still a friend. 

And whether she liked it or not, her gut trusted him. 

And she trusted her gut.

“ The mountain behind Poni Hall has two flutes.” 

Gladion raised his eyebrow. “ The scientists discussed this.”   
“ The Sun Flute and the Moon Flute.” she continued. “ Ancient peoples used to think that they were the keys to different realms.”

“ Uh huh.”

“ Professor Kukui led me here. He said that he knew I was onto something and if it had anything to do with what he was thinking about I should come here. 

“ And it looks like I might be right.”

Gladion cocked his head, his blond bangs falling back in his face. “ You think the Sun Flute and the Moon Flute may have a connection to these Ultra Beasts?”   
“ Not only that. I think they have the power to open and close these Ultra Wormholes.”

“ How so?”

“ If the legends are true, these flutes can summon something that, under intense pressure, can open an Ultra Wormhole.”

“ And close it?”

“ At its full power, yes.”

“ Then we need to get these flutes.” 

She gaped. “ We can’t just get these flutes. They belong to the archaeology department. I might be one for breaking and entering, but I am  _ not  _ stealing important artifacts.”

“ We can’t risk them falling into the hands of the Aether Foundation.” 

“ What does this mean, then?”

Gladion buried his head in his hands. “ Look. The Aether Foundation’s up to some shady stuff. Your science department is oblivious. And this research project obviously means a lot to you.”

“ Yes, it does.” 

“ If I told you to back off and mind your own business you’re going to disobey me.”

“ Yeah.”

“ You want to ace your science course and land yourself a future. I want to keep the world from blowing up.”

Moon gave him a look. “ It appears as if we need each other.”   
“ You still want to join the Aether Foundation after all of this?”

“ I’ve devoted hours to this. I’m doing it. And if I don’t agree with what they do, I’ll say something about it.”

“ You don’t understand. That’s not how it works in the real world.”

She scoffed. “ I know how the real world works. And if it doesn’t work, it’s because not enough people speak up for what’s right.”

“ That’s funny.”

“ We could work together.”   
“ That’s even funnier.”   
“ I’m serious.” Moon huffed, crossing her arms. “ If you’re with me, you’ll have more access to things here in Alola University without having to sneak around so much. And if I’m with you, I’ll get enough information I need to verify my theory.”

He laughed. “ You. And me. On a team.”

“ Is that idea so far-fetched to you?”

He continued laughing.

She rolled her eyes. Please. 

He immediately stopped laughing.

“ I’m sorry. This is not a funny situation.”

“ Duh.”

Gladion scratched his chin. “ Tell me how this internship thing works. This research project.”

“ You’re avoiding the suggestion.”

“ I’m not. I just want more details before I agree to anything.”   
Smart move. She would have done the same. 

“ If my research project wins, I land an internship at Aether. They announce the winner in a few weeks, at the dance in the astronomy room.”

“ At a nerd ball?”

She blushed. “ It’s not a nerd ball. It’s just a dance they hold every year for the science and math majors-”   
“ A nerd ball.” he repeated.

“ Whatever. They announce the winner there, and then they’ll begin an internship program part-time.”

He chuckled. “ Okay, then.”

Moon’s phone buzzed. She turned it off. 

“ What if I tell you we can work together?” 

“ That would be-”

“ You’ll want to listen to the rest of what I have to say.” 

“ Okay, I’m listening.”   
The wooden bottom of the closet creaked as Gladion scooted forward.

“ If we work together and you win the internship, you’ll have to give me inside information as well. And once we foil their plans and save the world, this partnership ends, and we return to things as they were before.”

“ Wait.”

“ What?”

“ How did this become your business, Gladion?”

“ Are you going to question me, or are you going to take my deal?” 

It was, admittedly, a lot to take in. 

This was exactly the kind of thing that happened to people in spy movies who would eventually wind up in compromising positions. If she agreed to Gladion’s deal, she would have to spy on the Aether Foundation for him to repay him. 

“ Not just to repay me, you know.” he laughed. “ As much as you think the world should self-destruct, you’re stupid enough to want to save it.”

She looked away.

“ Stop that.”

“ Stop what?”

“ Reading me like that.”

He smirked. “ You should stop worrying about me reading you. Worry about the situation at hand.”

“ Why should I believe you’re not just going to use me for some ulterior motive?”

“ Do you think I’m evil?”

“ I think you’re morally questionable.”

Gladion leaned in further so that their noses were almost touching. If Moon’s personal space bubble had a hole in it to begin with, it had now been completely destroyed. 

“ As much as you like to put up a front and pretend,” whispered Gladion, “ I think you’ll find you’re going to need me more than I’ll need you.” 

She determinedly avoided his gaze, ignoring the heat that rose to her cheeks. “ But you’re not denying you’re going to need me.”

“ You are my most convenient way through this mess.” he murmured. “ So yes.”

“ But you can find another way?”

“ I can.” he said. “ But you can’t.” 

He seemed to relax, backing away from her and leaning against the wall once more. 

“ So,” he yawned, “ what will it be?”

She didn’t really  _ need  _ Gladion, did she? 

Moon had gotten as far as she did without anyone’s help. 

But it wasn’t about her research project anymore. It was about something on a much bigger scale. 

Her better instincts told her to stay out of it.

_ You’ll regret getting involved with this. _

__ Gladion seemed to be relaxed, easy- pretending he had the upper hand. He didn’t have the upper hand. They were on the same level. 

“ We’re not so different, you and I.”

He just shrugged. 

“ Whatever this is,” she declared, “ it sounds like a serious matter. And you- I think you actually mean what you say. I think you really do want to save the world.”

“ So, what’s your answer?”

“ You see, I’m inclined to say that you’re crazy.”

“ I might as well be.”

“ But,” she sighed, “ I’m crazy, too.” 

Gladion extended his hand. She took it. 

They shook hands.


	5. Chapter 5

The coffee shop was open early Wednesday mornings. This was quite a relief to Moon, who hadn’t slept a wink the previous night. 

Gladion hadn’t said a word to her after she showed him a way out of the supply closet- a way that involved brute force and a high risk of splinters. It was fine. Kukui would be more than happy to discover that the stuck doors of the supply closet were somehow pried open, and she knew that he wouldn’t be one to question it. That was always the thing about Kukui. He never bothered to question much. Moon saw it as a lack of good judgment but as long as Kukui didn’t manage to get himself killed, she supposed it was fine. 

Biting her lip, she leaned her head on the arm of the armchair. The previous night’s events were, admittedly, a lot to take in. The Ultra Beasts she’d been so fervently researching were real. And not only were they real, they were a very present threat to the world as she knew it. Her mind was swimming. 

Gladion had said that the Aether Foundation wanted to keep the beasts for conservation and experimentation. It didn’t take much analyzation from Moon to conclude that the cons of this outnumbered the pros. The world would be torn apart before Lusamine could lay a hand on any beast. It was worrying. And unbelievable.  _ Completely unbelievable.  _

There was a little piece of her that tried to convince her it was a dream. Hau had said she wasn’t eating well. Maybe she was hallucinating due to malnutrition- due to some reason she desperately tried to search for inside her head to reassure her that she had not, in fact, made a deal with Lillie’s edgy brother to spy on the Aether Foundation for classified information. 

She hadn’t gone back to the dormitory after the whole debacle. Of course, she let Hau know she was okay. Through some unbelievable miracle, he’d managed to sneak out of the room and all the way back to the dormitory without being seen. Moon had to hand it to him. He was full of surprises. 

Lillie was dressed up in a brand new flowery apron, dashing from table to table, hands full with trays. She was the only one who worked in the coffee shop (other than Gladion, who came to help from time to time), and for that, Moon admired her tenacity. Wednesday mornings during the fall academic season were usually the mornings where final study sessions were held- which explained all of the traffic. 

There was the sound of ice clinking against glass as Lillie slid a drink across the table to her. Her tired green eyes met with Moon’s bloodshot ones. “ Here you go. A green tea with a shot of espresso.” she chuckled. “ Your usual.” 

“ Do you need help?” 

Lillie shook her head, blond strands of hair falling in her face. “ Nope. You’ve got a study session to attend to, and Hau’s already volunteered to help out later. I’m not keeping two of my friends here when they’ve got better things to do.” 

Moon already knew that arguing with Lillie would be a lost cause. She cracked a smile instead, placing two crumpled up dollar bills on the table. “ Alright, then. Take a tip. And I’m not attending the study session today.”

“ Oh, really,” said Lillie, her brow furrowing, “ why not?”

She took a big sip from her green tea espresso. “ I suppose I’m just not feeling up to it today.”

  
“ Hm. Well, I hope you feel better! Stay as long as you need-”

  
“ Hey, ma’am, is that my coffee?”   
Lillie gave her a withering look. “ Sorry, I’ve got to go.”

_ Ask her about her brother.  _

The thought came to Moon as Lillie turned to leave, but she repressed it. She would be way too busy to have any sort of discussion with her about last night’s debacle. And even if Lillie knew about whatever Gladion was up to, she doubted his sister would disclose. They’d always been secretive about their family life. 

Moon’s gaze turned to the door as it was opened by a very intimidating lady. 

The coffee shop fell silent as the lady stood there, her piercing amber eyes surveying the room. A corner of her mouth was turned up in a smirk as she strode inside, her pink and yellow hair bouncing as she walked. 

“ Plumeria,” Lillie whispered, “ what a surprise.” 

The lady- Plumeria, was it- stopped in front of her, looking her up and down. 

She clucked her tongue once or twice, giving Lillie a pitiful look. “ You and Gladion are the spitting image of each other. I don’t know why it still surprises me.” 

“ What do you want?” 

Plumeria grabbed a drink from Lillie’s tray, downing it in one gulp. 

“ Hey!”   
“ Ah, that was good, whatever that was,” she smirked, “ and as much as I would love to stay, I’m not here for you.” 

Lillie looked annoyed, her cheeks turning a faint shade of pink. “ Fine, then. Who are you here for?”   


Plumeria surveyed the room once more before her eyes settled on Moon.

Moon fought her intense gaze with a glare of her own. She was way too tired to be intimidated.

Plumeria laughed, her expression relaxing. “ I’m here for her.” 

Customers scooted their chairs in as she made her way over to Moon, who stared at her with a deadpan expression the entire time. It was a bad habit, Moon knew- the way she didn’t seem to show much emotion on the outside. But she supposed such a habit had its assets.

There was a sound as Plumeria sat down on the armchair on the opposite side of Moon’s table. She knew that, under normal circumstances, she’d be paranoid. The woman looked slightly familiar, but other than that, Moon had never interacted with her. This was a stranger. A stranger who could do anything to her. 

She crossed her legs. “ Gladion’s description was pretty right on if I do say so myself,” she laughed, “ a girl with short black hair, eyes that seem to be able to read right into you, and an aura.”

Moon’s voice was quiet. “ Gladion said that about me?”

“ Yes, he did,” said Plumeria, “ and that boy also told me to give you this.” 

She fished a folded-up something out of her pocket and tossed it across the table to Moon. Unfolding it revealed a number scrawled in messy handwriting, and a small footnote:

_ This is my number. I don’t think you have it. Contact me as soon as possible so I can _

_ have yours. And make sure that you only contact me for important reasons.  _

Moon scoffed. Important reasons. The boy seemed to go out of his way a lot to make it seem like they weren’t friends. 

She folded up the paper again. “ Is that all?”

“ That is all. But I must ask.”

Plumeria leaned forwards. “ Why did you choose to get involved with him?”

“ We chose to get involved with each other.”

“ Damn, girl. You know what I mean.”

Moon looked her in the eye. Now that she was getting a better look at her, she looked younger than Moon had initially thought. Maybe in her twenty-somethings. 

“ He can give me things I need,” she murmured, reluctantly, “ and I can give him things he needs.” 

Plumeria grabbed Moon’s green tea espresso, taking a sip out of it. “ That sounds like your basic deal. I’d watch it with him, though.”

Moon took her espresso. “ Do you mind?”

“ Oh, sorry, babe, it’s a habit.”

She shrugged. “ Alright, then. If there’s nothing else you’re here for, don’t you have anything better to do?” 

Plumeria stood up. “ In fact, I do. But before I go, I’ll just tell ya- watch for poison in your drinks. Cyanide’s nasty. A fast killer, too.” 

Moon stared at her as she left. 

Plumeria was edgy enough to be Gladion’s friend, that was for sure. What confused her was why Gladion didn’t bother to give her his number himself. Maybe it was pride. Or some other complex he had. She found it funny that after all the years they had known each other, she hadn’t wound up with his number by some other means. 

Lillie seemed to know her. And like she’d thought, Plumeria was familiar. She hadn’t interacted with her before, but she was familiar. Somewhere. She’d seen her face somewhere. 

Moon reached for her espresso, warily looking at it before she took another sip. 

She made a mental note to fetch cyanide and arsenic detectors from the lab. 

~

Gladion responded almost immediately after Moon texted his number. It was funny. She didn’t peg him as the type to respond quickly to text messages. He seemed more like the person who would leave her on  _ read  _ and wait five hours before responding. 

_ Hey. Gladion, this is Moon.  _

__ _ Moon. Good.  _

__ _ That was fast. _

__ _ Don’t think anything of it. We are going to be discussing important matters. _

Moon sighed, burying her head under the pillow. She turned the brightness of her phone down- her eyes were strained as it was.  _ And what are we going to be discussing?  _

It only took Gladion a moment. He seemed to be a fast typer.  _ Nothing as of yet. I have to go do something. Goodbye.  _

She frowned. She’d hoped he’d be a more entertaining texter. 

Moon rolled over in her bed, letting herself sink into her memory foam mattress. Closing her eyes brought her back to the inside of the supply closet, to the murmurs of Professor Kukui and President Lusamine, to Gladion’s disheveled appearance. Plumeria had said Gladion described her as “ a girl with short black hair, eyes that seem to be able to read right into you, and an aura”. 

Hm. If anything, Gladion could read Moon better than she could read him. She hated to admit it, but he matched her wit. Having a conversation with him was like fencing. She’d parry. He’d parry. They would block and thrust and shoot each other smirks and pretend as if there were upper hands. Moon knew there were no upper hands. 

She groaned, pulling her pillow tighter on her head. 

There were only a few weeks left- three, actually- to pull herself together in order to win the internship. If she pursued her theory, she knew Aether would hire her. But did she really have the courage to act as Gladion wanted? 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the familiar beep of a notification. It was another email from Kukui. Sighing, she ignored the notification. It was unlike her. So many things were unlike her. It was a mess. She was a mess. 

Moon fumbled around blindly for her television remote, and once she found it, she turned on the TV. 

“... President Lusamine for an exclusive interview.”   
The pillow was off her head in an instant. 

Aether President Lusamine was a pretty woman. It was hard to believe that she was even real, that she didn’t spend thousands of dollars in order to look the way she did. She also had a kind expression, a  _ loving  _ expression- she didn’t look anything like the kind of woman Gladion had said she was. She didn’t look like the kind of person who would want to trap beasts and end the world. 

_ Maybe she doesn’t want to trap beasts and end the world. Maybe she doesn’t know.  _

__ But how could she not? 

The news anchor was an average-looking man. He looked awed, at the very least, to be in Lusamine’s presence. “ If I may ask, what do you think about the current alien sightings?”

Her laugh was light. Lilting. Disarming. “ Oh, my, what does this have to do with what I do?” 

“ Everything,” Moon grumbled, “ it has  _ everything  _ to do with what you do, lady.”   
Moon recorded the program and turned off the TV. 

Her eyes drifted around the room. There was a parcel on her desk, a parcel that wasn’t there before. She rolled out of her bed, and walked over to look at it. It was clumsily wrapped and covered in priority mail stamps. The address was from Kanto. Her old home in Kanto. Her mother’s name was written below the address as if she was in a rush while doing it. 

But why was her mother in Kanto?

After a short moment of debating, Moon tore open the parcel. It was a jacket. A jacket that smelled very much of her mother and her old home. As she pulled it out, a letter fell from it. 

_ Dear Moon, _

__ _ I hope college is treating you well! I know you told me to just text or call whenever I feel lonely, but I prefer the old fashioned letter system. Call me your old mama if you want, but I just feel a whole lot better if I write to you like this.  _

__ _ I got this jacket in Viridian City- the color just reminded me of you. Oh, yeah, I forgot! I’ve been staying in Kanto for work. I was going to tell you before I left yesterday, but you weren’t picking up your phone. Well, it was considerably late at night, so I suppose you were sleeping. If so, I’m glad to hear you’ve finally picked up your sleeping schedule.  _

__ _ Anyways, I’ve got to go soon. I hope you like the jacket! _

_ Love, Mom~ _

Moon read over the letter twice before placing it on her desk. The unmistakeable scent of her mother’s perfume wafted from the paper, sending her on quick trips back through her memory. She pulled on her mother’s gift. A perfect fit. 

She climbed under her covers and shut her eyes, pulling the jacket’s hood over her head. It reached all the way past her nose. Something familiar. It was something familiar that kept her grounded among the unfamiliar things that threatened to make her unknowns known, among the things that threatened to change who she thought she was. She was grateful for it.  Thoughts of the Ultra Beasts and the Aether Foundation and Gladion were swimming through her head, and she was positively drowning.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my goSH school has hit me like a bus but now that it's summer i can actually update!  
> also note: if anyone can tell me how to fix formatting that would really be rad thanks

Moon’s nap lasted until the early evening, the alarm ringing as the clock hit six. She snoozed it, and sat up.  
“ About time.”  
Her eyes refocused and settled on the boy sitting across from her, who stared at her intently. Gladion. What was-  
“ Who the hell let you in?”  
Before he could answer, Moon grabbed the pillow and threw it at him. “ And were you watching me sleep?”  
Gladion chuckled, grabbing the pillow before it landed. “ Hau let me in,” he smirked, “ and no, I was not watching you sleep.”  
Moon avoided his gaze, heat rising to her cheeks. It was still cold, colder than usual- a sort of cold that Alola hadn’t seen in a long time. She drew the covers tighter around herself. “ Sure looked like you were,” she murmured, “ you’re right where you are, after all.”  
He leaned back on the foot of her bed. “ I just look like a creep, don’t I?  
“ No. You’re just weird,” she murmured, burying her head inside her blanket, “ and if you don’t want to be noticed, you’ll have to change your-”  
“ Style?” he questioned. “ Yes. That’s exactly what I’m here for.”  
Moon hardly had time to figure out whether or not Gladion was being sarcastic before a sack of something was thrown onto her bed. He turned the lights on. She recoiled- it seemed to be brighter than usual.  
“ Is it too bright?” he asked. “ Would you prefer the lights off?”  
She ignored him, and reached for the sack. It was full of clothes. Clothes that weren’t edgy and ripped and questionable. Clothes that were in fashion. Emphasis on the fashion part. She examined the price tag- Gladion hadn’t bothered to take any of them off- and gaped. “ Three hundred-”  
“ So will these clothes work or not?”  
Gladion sat back down at the edge of the bed. Moon gave him a look. Three hundred dollars. Just who was this boy? He was only a year older than her and yet he seemed to be from an entirely different planet! He wasn’t normal. He was literally anything but normal. Even his attempts to be normal were the strangest, most surprising things she’d ever seen. “ If you want to blend into a broke college environment,” she frowned, “ you’re gonna have to be a tiny bit cheaper than a fancy jacket suit from Hau’ioli.”  
He shrugged. “ It’s just a suit.”  
“ A three hundred dollar suit from the high fashion store! Are you asking people to ask you for your life story?”  
“ My life story’s not that interesting.”  
Moon chose not to pry. “ Anyways… is that all you came for?”  
“ I need you to clear your plans for tonight.”  
“ What is it about me that made you think I’d be the sort of person with social  
plans?”  
He shrugged again, his tone sprinkled with the sort of nonchalance that made her frustrated. “Nothing, really. I just wanted to make it clear to you that for however long we’ll be working together, what we’re doing takes top priority.”  
Top priority. She supposed saving the world really was top priority. And that was assuming they could. They weren’t exactly the dream team.  
“So, what top priority thing are we doing tonight?”  
He stood up, and tossed her a dark hoodie. “We’re doing dinner.”  
~  
“There is literally nothing appetizing on this menu.”  
He gave her a look. “You know, they might be able to hear you.”  
Whatever.  
Moon didn’t know what she was anticipating, but an edgy dinner at a goth restaurant wasn’t exactly what she imagined they’d be doing. She’d thought about more break-ins and spy missions. But dinner?  
She would usually wait for Hau to come back before she’d eat, and she didn’t even leave a message for him to come back to. Oh, well. He was helping out at Lillie’s, and the boy took his sweet time over there.  
She bit her lip, and forced her eyes back down at the menu. Snails? Cricket powder brownies? What kind of restaurant was this? Making a mental note to recommend some pasta to Gladion later, she looked around.  
Everything was black, or some tone of gray. Everyone was dressed in a similar fashion- which explained the dark hoodie he’d asked her (well, in a way) to wear. Emo music was playing over crappy speakers, and it took Moon all the way back to her “it’s not a phase” phase. She’d chosen to repress it.  
The song was a banger, though.  
The waiters and waitresses were dressed in all black, and the only brightness seemed to radiate from the heavily drawn windows. It was sunset. Sunset looked pretty from Lillie’s cafe window.  
“Just get the crickets,” said Gladion. “They’re the safest option, and they probably don’t taste like you think they do.”  
“Why couldn’t we have eaten at your sister’s?”  
“Because we made prior arrangements.”  
There was a loud bang as the door opened, sending shivers up Moon’s spine. A large man stood in the doorway, his hair the sort of dirty white of street snow. He was dressed in a similar black as the rest of the emo regulars, but a single gold chain was wrapped around his neck.  
The music played over the silence as the man made his way up to where Moon and Gladion sat- Gladion looking visibly irritated, and Moon with her usual deadpan expression. It wasn't that she didn't care. Really. It was just that her face often refused to cooperate with her emotions.  
There was a loud scrape on the floor as the man pulled out the wooden chair across from her. She edged instinctively away from him, and Gladion put a hand on her shoulder.  
“Guzma,” he growled, “what do you want?”  
Guzma was his name?  
He laughed. “Sorry to interrupt your little date, boy. I heard you were in town.”  
Gladion eyed him suspiciously, his grip on Moon's shoulder tightening. “I'm always in town.”  
“Deadbeat, eh? Ha!” he grinned. “Honestly, Gladion, I'm surprised this little chick here decided to go on a date with you. What's your name, sweetie?”  
Gladion frowned. “We're not on a date. What do you want?”  
“Uh,” Moon coughed, “can I use the bathroom?”  
Guzma leaned in closer, the smell of something foul in his mouth. “There's none for a block, sweetheart.”  
She wanted to cry.  
Guzma folded his hands on the table. “Waiter!”  
If there was any hope in her that she'd be able to have a nice dinner with Gladion, that hope had vanished. I should've expected something like this to happen.  
A waiter appeared immediately at their table.  
“I'll have the measelworm tacos,” Guzma yawned.  
Moon recoiled. Gladion shot her a look before removing his hand from her shoulder. “We'll have two cricket plates,” he added, “and water all around.”  
By the look of things, Gladion didn't plan for the man to arrive. He might've meant the dinner as something else.  
But things like this seemed to just flock to him. She supposed she'd have to get used to it.  
The water (arguably the most appetizing thing on the menu) arrived almost instantaneously. She took a sip from her glass. The water was cold. Really cold. Colder than how usual restaurants served their water.  
During her high school years, she used to frequent the beaches. Lillie, when she wasn't working at the cafe, would usually come with her. And Hau, if he wasn't off lurking near the malasada stands, would come as well. The water was chillingly cold, but it was the good kind of cold, the cold that felt more like home than her own house did.  
The edgy restaurant water was a different kind of cold.  
“What's your name, little miss?”  
Gladion answered before she could. “Her name's Moon, and stop sidetracking the conversation.”  
“Why don't you let her talk, boy?”  
The sudden shift in Guzma's tone made Gladion shut up, and the silence bit at her once more.  
“Uh,” she murmured, “yeah. I'm Moon.”  
“And what's your business with this scrub?”  
She chose to stay cryptic. “We're friends.”  
A sinister sort of smile erupted on Guzma's face. “Friends, eh? I didn't think he had much of those.”  
“I didn't think so either.”  
He laughed, and Gladion looked even more irritated.  
“Let me tell you something, though.”  
Guzma leaned in again, and Moon drew back.  
“Maybe it's just the gut instinct in me,” he laughed, “but I think you two kids are up to something. I'd be careful if I were you.”  
Moon looked at him, her tone surprisingly calm. “Is that a threat?”  
“It's advice, girlie. You're a pretty thing- I'd hate to see that face get into more trouble than you can handle.”  
What was his problem?  
“Lillie said Plumeria stopped by the cafe earlier. What the hell do you want, Guzma?”  
“Measelworm tacos and two cricket plates?”  
Gladion took the food, muttering a dry thank-you to the waiter, who scurried off in the opposite direction. Guzma took a generous bite of one of the tacos, as cooked worms fell off from the side. “Some shit's going down back in town, and when shit goes down, you best bet we're here.”  
“So the gang's back in town?”  
“Back and better than ever, kid.”  
Moon's phone rang.  
“Uh,” she murmured, “I'd better take this.”  
She didn't comment on the growing tension between her two tablemates as she dashed out of the restaurant, panting as she rounded the corner.  
It was Lillie.  
“Hey, Moon. Hau's phone's dead, and he's just wondering where you are.”  
“I'm so glad you called me.”  
Lillie sounded confused. “Um... you're welcome? I mean, huh?”  
“I'll explain later.”  
She giggled. “Knowing you, it's probably some sort of awkward situation.”  
You have no idea.  
“Hau also wants to go out and get some malasadas. We're also stopping by the mall, do you want anything to eat?”  
Bless Lillie. “Anything that's not bugs, thanks.”  
Moon's hair was blown into her face as cars zoomed by. It was as if they knew that an edgy alley was around the corner and they wanted to avoid as much of it as they could.  
They probably did.  
“Bugs?” Lillie laughed. “Oh, gosh. You don't want to go out and eat dinner with my brother, then. He always likes to go to the creepy bug restaurant down that creepy alley were all the scary guys hang out. I'm never able to get him to eat anywhere else.”  
No kidding.  
“Hey, Lillie?”  
“Yeah?”  
She took a deep breath. “Speaking of creepy guys, do you know some guy named Guzma?”  
There was a small silence over the phone before she responded.  
“Guzma?”  
Her tone was uneasy. “Like, the Guzma? Head of Team Skull?”  
“Team Skull? You mean-”  
“The street gang Team Skull? Yeah.”  
Fear struck her heart.  
All over Alola, Team Skull was notorious for their thievery and street crimes. They even took over an entire town northeast of Alola University, and apparently, it was like a military regime.  
And Guzma, that man, was the head of it.  
“You ever... met him?”  
“Nope, but I don't need to to know he's a scary guy. Why do you ask?”  
Moon's eyes drifted back to the restaurant. “No particular reason.”  
“Oh, alright,” she yawned. “You know, my brother got involved with them a while back.”  
“Team Skull?”  
Lillie sighed. “Yeah. He said it was a steady source of income. But-”  
There was a loud crash from the restaurant.  
“Uh, Lillie, I'm going to have to call you back.”  
“Is everything okay-”  
She hung up the phone.  
Gladion stormed out of the restaurant.  
“What's going on-”  
He shoved what looked like a takeout box in her hands before grabbing her arm. “We're leaving. Now.”  
“You could've had your shot with us, kid.”  
Guzma appeared, dripping wet, behind Gladion.  
“You could've been great. Second best to only me.”  
What was Guzma talking about? Was he trying to-  
“Oh, fuck off, Guzma. Go poke your nose in someone else's business.”  
Guzma laughed. “You've always been gutsy, boy. But, again, if I were you, I'd watch my back. You too, sweetheart.”  
He cackled. “You're getting yourselves into a mess you have no idea how to get out of.”  
And before either Gladion or Moon could do anything, he was gone.  
“Gladion, what happened?”  
They set off back towards the university.  
“He was threatening me, so I got frustrated and I threw your water at his face.”  
Moon gaped. “You threw my glass of water at his face?”  
“He spiked it. With cyanide. When you were outside.”  
The color drained from her face. Guzma had attempted to-  
“It was a test. He was going to try and recruit me for his stupid street gang. My days there are over.”  
“But why would he-”  
“Try to poison you? Because he wanted to see if I'd do something. Or if you were smart enough to sniff it out. God knows they need some smartasses.”  
“And if I didn't sniff it out and Lillie didn't call me,” she sputtered, “I would've drunk the water and died?”  
Gladion yawned. “Bingo.”  
“Why hasn't anyone reported him? Or caught him?”  
He raised his hand for a taxi. “He may be a blundering fuck, but the dude is smarter than he looks. I'll give him that,” he said. “Plus, everyone's corrupted nowadays.”  
“What was tonight supposed to be, then?”  
He shrugged. “Just dinner. I thought it'd be nice.”  
Huh.  
“Well,” she murmured, “if you ever, uh, want to take me out to a nice dinner just because, I'd recommend the pasta restaurant around the corner.”  
There was a hint of a genuine smile forming on his face. “Noted.”  
A taxi zoomed up to them, and Moon got in.  
“Alola University dormitory complex, please,” Gladion said.  
Moon reached out to take the money from him, but Gladion slid in to sit next to her.  
“What are you doing?”  
He gave her a look. “Taking you back to your apartment. You think I'd let you go home by yourself after what just happened?”  
Oh.  
“I- uh, thank you, I guess.”  
Gladion looked amused. “You think I'm that much of an asshole?”  
He closed the taxi door, and they sped off.


End file.
